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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 728 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
656 of 662 found the following review helpful:
 Works great! Nov 01, 2005
By B. T. Denyer
"Web designer"
I installed this unit in my basement about 8 months ago, and it has been working flawlessly ever since.
Things I noticed:
If the power goes out, the unit will NOT turn back on automatically (as some other units do.)
If you want to use the continuous drainage (which I highly recommend) via a hose, you have to punch out a plastic disc on the side of the unit. I would have designed a screw-type plug that was replacable, but they didn't think of that. Anyway, once you punch the quarter-size disc out it's out forever.
If you choose to use the continuous drainage feature, you will need to pick up a hose with an inner diameter of 15mm (.59" or just over half an inch.) I went to the local DIY center and found some clear tubing that has worked well.
The unit can operate down to 2-degrees C (36-degrees F), which will be great for continuous operation in the garage to keep the tools from rusting.
Has three fan settings: med, high and quiet. "Quiet" really is quiet, and could probably work just fine in a bedroom. Though, it does warm the room it's in. How much it warms it depends on the humidity setting.
Four settings: The humidty level (humidstat) can be set to "continuous dehumidification" (which is the default setting), 50%, 60% and 70%. The fan will continue to run but the dehumidification processor will turn off when it reaches the selected humidity level. Cool. I mean, that's when the fan will just blow room-temp air.
A full drainage tank will stop the unit and illuminate a "tank full" indicator light.
The unit is not that heavy -- maybe for some, but not nearly as heavy as some people make it sound. It's 30.8 pounds.
According to the instructions: You will need at least 21 cm (about 8 inches) of clearance in front, behind and side to side. Air blows out of the top of the unit, so you'll need to make sure it's clear as well.
There are movable louvers on the top to direct the air straight up, 45-degrees or almost straight ahead.
Power consumption: CFM-25E is 220W // CFM-40E is 330W
I highly recommend this model dehumidifier.
***15-month UPDATE: It is still working like a champ! We haven't had one single problem with it, and I don't foresee ever really having one in the near future. I've been running this thing nonstop and it has only required me to clean the filter on the back (which takes 5 minutes.) It has remained as quiet as the day I bought it. It's awesome!
288 of 290 found the following review helpful:
Works well May 10, 2006
By Justin Wolf
I purchased this dehumidifier for mainly basement use, but wanted one quiet enough for use upstairs if needed. And, boy is this thing quiet. My refrigerator is louder. I also own a Fedders 45 pint unit and a Whirlpool 65 pint noise maker. The Fedders (Maytag) was the quiet champ untill I purchased the Soleus Air CFM-40E. The Whirlpool removes an amazing amount of water, but can be heard UPSTAIRS when running in the basement. So it is used only when needed. The Soleus Air is so quiet I have to go down the basement stairs and visually check to see if the unit is on. Can't say that for many dehumidifiers. My only complaint is that the fan is always on, even when it has reached the set humidity level. This prevents the short cycling the others do, on for 2 minutes off for 2 minutes or so, but I think prevents an Energy Star certification. At 2.9 amps it draws significantly less than the Fedders 5.6 amps and the Whirlpool's 7.9 amps.
The Soleus Air works great (so far) upstairs in the spring, when it is cool but damp, like the weather this week. Here in Wisconsin it is in the 60's but rainy, so the house is humid. Running the central air is not necessary since the house is not hot. So I use a dehumidifier, which makes the house seem less clammy. I would recommend the Soleus Air CFM-40E to anyone who is looking for a small, really quiet, relatively light, medium capacity (40pint) dehumidifier that simply does what is supposed to do (remove water from air) with out excess noise.
*******3 Year Update******
This dehumidifier has been working flawlessly for 3 years of nearly constant use. Other than cleaning the filter and the occasional collection tank clean out, maintenance has been minimal. I still can not get over how quiet this unit is, and it has not gotten any louder with age. I highly recommend this product, yes it is not cheap, but it works really well, and is very well built. Highest possible recommendation.
224 of 229 found the following review helpful:
Excellent balance of efficiency and effectiveness Apr 22, 2005
By Patrick Smyth
"Chaucer Wells"
I currently have 5 dehumidifiers in different locations, and this one is the strikes the best balance of efficiency, reliability, effectiveness, and quietness. There are other models that can pull more moisture out of the air more quickly, but they are invariably much louder and MUCH more expensive to run.
81 of 81 found the following review helpful:
The quiet life, death and rebirth of a dehumidifier Dec 02, 2006
By Shady Ave Reader
(November 2006) I joined one of the other reviewers in apologizing for being compelled to praise a dehumidifier. When our loud old humidifier finally died, I spent many frustrating trips buying and returning louder replacements (think of a 747 jet at take-off) dehumidifiers to various big-box stores.
Then I found the Soleus. It was quieter (I guess maybe 30-40db), as efficient, and smaller than anything else we could find on the market. When I plugged it in, I frankly did not think it was running - as it was that quiet. Despite its silent running it filled the bucket faster than any other one I had tried. It was also more energy efficient than the other standard brands. Even if the bucket empties slightly different than standard dehumidifiers, it could hardly be simpler.
I do agree there is an inconvenience when one has to return larger items like this from mail order and not a store. However, making returns to Home Depot or Lowes is no picnic either these days. But in this case, I would urge folks to take the chance if you cannot find it elsewhere.
I would say if you have no concern about the noise, one could go with other models. However, if you have to live in proximity to the dehumidifer - this model ought to be at the top of your list.
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(December 2007) To update the original review, 1 year later, the dehumidifier was still working quietly. Although when the temperature was below 60(F)degrees it lost efficiency and would ice up. However, most dehumidifiers do not work well in cold temperatures.
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(May 2008) - Well the icing up eventually caused the thermostat to blow (or vice versa) and the unit died in May 2008. It would only run on continuous mode but then would ice up making it non-functional. I could not blame cold temp any longer as the basement was now 70 degrees. Thus the unit lasted about 18 months. While I was disappointed (and would remove a star or two if Amazon would let reviewers do that), I had to say it was very good when it worked. I replaced it with a more traditional noisy dehumidifier, since I did not want to buy a humidifier every year and a half. The new one worked fine but noisily. I had to admit that I missed the quiet of the Soleus.
My comment at the time: If you want to take the risk and it works you probably will have the quietest dehumidifier on the market. But it might not last judging from my own experience and what I see from other reviewers.
Epilogue - Well the noisy replacement (Danby) died in January 2009. (To their credit Danby provided a full refund). I had, however, hated the loud noise of the Danby, so I gambled again on the Soleus. I decided NOT to revise my prior review until I had at least 6 months of operation on the Soleus to report on. Now, 8 months later, it is still working flawlessly filling a full pan of water every 24 hours, sometimes faster. It is still whisper quiet. One change I have made, is to be sure to turn it off when the relative humidity gets low, i.e. I turn it off if in a 24 hour period I don't see water collecting in the pan. Given my jinx with dehumidifiers, I did something I never ever do, I bought an extended warranty for it. So knock wood, I once again have a functioning dehumidifier, and one that can be in the same room with me and I can still hear the TV or stereo.
94 of 95 found the following review helpful:
 Almost perfect Oct 16, 2004
By S. Hixson
We have spent this summer attempting to find a tolerable dehumidifier. Of the 5 brands we brought into our home, the Soleus CFM40 and CFM25 were the only ones reasonable to use in a space where people live. It is truly quite. It actually pulls the water out of the air. It does not leak. It does not produce astounding amounts of heat.
It's draw backs are: 1. Even though it is weighs about half that of dehumidifiers using traditional compressor technology, it is still rather hard to move due to having casters instead of wheels. 2. The water catcher is more cumbersome to remove with grace than in other brands.
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